A FORMER town councillor, described as "fit" and in "good health", died suddenly at his mother's home aged 49.

Andrew Morley, who served as a Labour councillor on Horwich Town Council from 2013 to 2015, died unexpectedly on November 3.

His brother Paul said the cause of the death, which was a shock to the family, is still unknown.

He said: "He was under quite a lot of stress, but we all get stressed from time to time. That was about it really. He went to bed on Friday and in the morning he was dead.”

Police investigated the circumstances surrounding Andrew's death which remains unexplained. A post-mortem examination concluded that the precise circumstances of death are unknown and the case has been passed on to the coroner.

Andrew was born in Bolton and moved to Horwich with his parents Kathleen and David before his younger brother Paul was born.

Paul said: “It’s not the natural order. You expect to go to your parents’ funeral. You don’t expect to go to your children’s.”

Andrew, who worked as a computer programmer in Manchester, was a member of the Horwich Parish Church Council and the Horwich Parish Choir as well as Bolton Symphony Orchestra who will pay tribute to him at a concert in The Victoria Hall on Saturday.

Horwich town mayor Peter Wright said: “He was a very nice man. Very gentle. It’s a shame that someone should die so young.”

A service will be held at Horwich Parish Church on Monday November 19 at 11am.